HARRISON – The historic Carlson Homestead will be open to the public for the first time during this year’s house and garden tour on July 24 sponsored by the Caswell Public Library.

The self-guided tour, featuring 10 locations, will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Proceeds will benefit the capital campaign for the new Harrison Village Library, formerly the town office, which will be open from noon to 4 p.m. the day of the house tour for refreshments.

The library will be moving operations to the old town office as soon as new shelving is installed, which may be by the end of August.

New this year will be a tour of the Carlson homestead on Haskell Hill Road, which, along with more than 150 acres, was bequeathed to the Harrison Historical Society when Mary Carlson died last year.

The home is across the street from the old barn that Carlson, a founder of the Historical Society, gave to the society in 1993 to be used as a museum. On the day of the tour, the museum will be open, as well as the house.

For the rest of July and August, the house will be open, along with the museum, on Wednesday afternoons.

A house from a coop

Mary and Bill Carlson spent many hours restoring the home, built around 1810 by James Chadbourne. The home was sold to Benjamin Stanley in 1851 and stayed in the family until the Carlsons bought it in 1955.

Nine other houses will be on the tour, including Pat Brandenburger’s house and gardens on Long Lake. Brandenburger has restored perennial gardens, as well as planting new front gardens with an abundance of native plants.

Tour participants can also view the gardens of Jen Desrosiers and of Donna Lebkuecher on Cape Monday Road and those of Linda and Richard Boutin, organic gardeners, atop Hobbs Hill.

Next door to the Boutins, Meg Kirschner grows flower and vegetables on reclaimed forestland, once the site of the 18th and 19th century Hobbs family homestead.

At Haskell Hill, Bob and Lori Bissonnette are inviting people to view their hybrid day lilies, including new and old registered introductions from all over the world. Also on Haskell Hill, Cindy Gabrilli’s gardens will be on display.

Also open to the public will be Barbara Thompson’s garden in the village, which includes a waterfall and small pool. Her house, which is more than 100 years old, was originally a chicken coop.

Finally, Rick and Kaye Sykes are opening their cottage-style Victorian home on Front Street.

For more information on the tour, people can call the library at 583-2970.